Car flashing lights and pointing

One_Of_Shanks · 25-08-2014 4:34pm #1

This is a bit of a strange one and just wondering what people make of it.

Basically, driving home to Dublin from Wexford (camping trip) on Sunday morning, and about 20 mins from Wexford town an oncoming car flashed its lights at me, while about 300 yards away from me.

As they got closer they slowed down and flashed their lights another 3 or 4 times and both the driver and passenger started pointing quite frantically straight ahead of them, or perhaps to something behind me.

They slowed almost to a stop and continued along in the hard shoulder as if expecting me to do a U-turn and go back to them.

There was a car about 6 car lengths behind me so I couldn't really just stop and pull over even if I wanted to.
I waited a few mins and found a safe place to stop and got out and checked my car etc, all was fine.
I had my side-lights on but certainly nothing unusual.

I had been doing about 65-70km at the time in an 80 zone. As we drove on there were no check-points or anything that they could have been warning me of, and anyway that wouldn't explain all the pointing etc....

I'm an inexperienced driver so is it customary to stop and go back in a situation like this?

It occurred to me that perhaps it could have been an off-duty Guard but I don't think I had done anything wrong, and both the driver and passenger were dressed in what appeared to be GAA jersies so I'm guessing they were on their way to a game or something (bit early at 11am admittedly)

Any thoughts or educated guesses?

corktina · 25-08-2014 4:38pm

attempted car-jacking?

Cabaal · 25-08-2014 4:41pm

Maybe just winding you up in order to waste your time by pulling over?

Bigcheeze · 25-08-2014 4:43pm

You were driving down the wrong side of the M11.

kippy · 25-08-2014 4:45pm

One_Of_Shanks wrote: »

This is a bit of a strange one and just wondering what people make of it.

Basically, driving home to Dublin from Wexford (camping trip) on Sunday morning, and about 20 mins from Wexford town an oncoming car flashed its lights at me, while about 300 yards away from me.

As they got closer they slowed down and flashed their lights another 3 or 4 times and both the driver and passenger started pointing quite frantically straight ahead of them, or perhaps to something behind me.

They slowed almost to a stop and continued along in the hard shoulder as if expecting me to do a U-turn and go back to them.

There was a car about 6 car lengths behind me so I couldn't really just stop and pull over even if I wanted to.
I waited a few mins and found a safe place to stop and got out and checked my car etc, all was fine.
I had my side-lights on but certainly nothing unusual.

I had been doing about 65-70km at the time in an 80 zone. As we drove on there were no check-points or anything that they could have been warning me of, and anyway that wouldn't explain all the pointing etc....

I'm an inexperienced driver so is it customary to stop and go back in a situation like this?

It occurred to me that perhaps it could have been an off-duty Guard but I don't think I had done anything wrong, and both the driver and passenger were dressed in what appeared to be GAA jersies so I'm guessing they were on their way to a game or something (bit early at 11am admittedly)

Any thoughts or educated guesses?

Were you pulling a trailer/caravan or had a roof box/rack on?
Perhaps something looked like it was all over the place (going to break lose)?

That or a gang of lads having a "laugh" (not very funny mind)

Yer Aul One · 25-08-2014 4:48pm

I reckon they thought you were going where they were going and tried to redirect you. Mistaken identity or as you said, a match or something

Zubeneschamali · 25-08-2014 4:50pm

One_Of_Shanks wrote: »

is it customary to stop and go back in a situation like this?

No. I might, like yourself, pull over where safe and check that nothing obvious is wrong, but I certainly wouldn't go looking for the pointers.

One_Of_Shanks · 25-08-2014 4:51pm

kippy wrote: »

Were you pulling a trailer/caravan or had a roof box/rack on?
Perhaps something looked like it was all over the place (going to break lose)?

That or a gang of lads having a "laugh" (not very funny mind)

No, its just a car/van 2 seater with a huge boot packed to the gills with all our stuff for the camping, but no trailer or anything, no roof-rack.

The driver and passenger in the other car seemed to be a male & female, I think they were middle-aged. Happened quite quickly so can't be totally certain.

Celly Smunt · 25-08-2014 4:52pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_akwHYMdbsM

One_Of_Shanks · 25-08-2014 4:53pm

Yer Aul One wrote: »

I reckon they thought you were going where they were going and tried to redirect you. Mistaken identity or as you said, a match or something

Actually that's a good shout. Yeah maybe they thought they knew me and wanted me to pull over to say I was going the wrong way to the game or something.

That would make sense I suppose

Yer Aul One · 25-08-2014 4:56pm

One_Of_Shanks wrote: »

Actually that's a good shout. Yeah maybe they thought they knew me and wanted me to pull over to say I was going the wrong way to the game or something.

That would make sense I suppose

You got back to civilization, that's the main thing!

One_Of_Shanks · 25-08-2014 4:59pm

Yer Aul One wrote: »

You got back to civilization, that's the main thing!

haha, very true mate!

punisher5112 · 25-08-2014 7:23pm

OP you say had side lights on but could you have had fog lights on also and maybe switched dipped beams on and had high beams on by accident.

Was your bonnet open or is the sump guard flapping around under the car?

freshpopcorn · 25-08-2014 11:00pm

Something similar happened to us before. We came out of Tesco and was driving home. A car behind us started flassing it's lights at us and pointing. We pulled in when it was safe to do so and checked the lights/etc. We could find nothing wrong. We realised when we got home we must have left some chocolate on the roof of the car when we were putting our shopping in the car. Thats what they were trying to draw our attention to.

ardle1 · 26-08-2014 2:44am

I feel guilty about 'this' to this day, happened about 10 years ago...
Coming back from the shops after getting the Sunday papers and coming towards a round-about, this guy pulled up along side pointing and mouthing something towards the side of my car..... Anyway I proceeded to give him a mouthful back at the same time opening my passenger window, I really thought he was saying something or other like, 'hey you never even indicated or God knows what'............. Anyway got back to my house! and low and behold the back passenger door obviously hadn't been shut properly, then it all dawned on me, I had come out of the shop thrown the papers in the back and jogged merily round to my door.... If your reading this(ya gent)I do apologise

Export · 26-08-2014 2:51am

What county car reg have you?

Happened me once when I set off from a lit-up car-park. In the dark. With no lights on! Holy sweet Jesus was I glad they all flashed me.

filbert the fox · 26-08-2014 3:57pm

[I had my side-lights on but certainly nothing unusual.

Why?

BTW everybody it's a GREAT IDEA to drive with your lights on. Especially during the day.

and here's the proof....

when someone flashes you for having your lights on.

Enough said

Zulu · 26-08-2014 4:22pm

filbert the fox wrote: »

[I had my side-lights on but certainly nothing unusual.

Why?

BTW everybody it's a GREAT IDEA to drive with your lights on. Especially during the day.

It actually is a good idea; it's proven to be safer.

Enough said.

punisher5112 · 26-08-2014 4:43pm

Don't see anyone flashing for lights on any more unless some slipped the net I agree it use to be common as had drl's fitted to a 89 sunny back in the day.
They flashed all the time:pac: the ladies I mean:D:P

ironclaw · 26-08-2014 8:01pm

filbert the fox wrote: »

BTW everybody it's a GREAT IDEA to drive with your lights on. Especially during the day.

Sweet jesus I hope that is sarcasm :eek:

One_Of_Shanks · 30-08-2014 12:47am

punisher5112 wrote: »

OP you say had side lights on but could you have had fog lights on also and maybe switched dipped beams on and had high beams on by accident.

Was your bonnet open or is the sump guard flapping around under the car?

Thanks for the input and sorry for late reply. But no, I pulled in and checked as much.
Fog light was my immediate thinking too, but no it wasn't on.
Definitely just side-lights too

Also, I drove for 90 mins afterwards, without any other reaction.

One_Of_Shanks · 30-08-2014 12:59am

filbert the fox wrote: »

BTW everybody it's a GREAT IDEA to drive with your lights on. Especially during the day.

and here's the proof....

when someone flashes you for having your lights on.

Enough said

To be fair, I'm not sure why you said this.

It was a dark cloudy morning (half the reason we left) and side-lights on is considered safer.
(as a previous poster said)

Are you suggesting that driving with side-lights on is wrong?
And more to the point, are you suggesting that an oncoming car will flash you 5/6 times and grind to a halt while pointing repeatedly just because you have side-lights on?

No offence but I wouldn't be having that.

Anyway, I'd hazard a guess that the chap who suggested the mistaken identity was possibly correct. Well, best thinking so far anyway

Kenny Logins · 30-08-2014 1:00am

One way system?

One_Of_Shanks · 30-08-2014 1:04am

Kenny Logins wrote: »

One way system?

Lol. Thankfully not mate

daveohdave · 30-08-2014 9:30am

Next time you're tootling along with your sides on to improve visibility, look at the cars coming against you. Which have better visibility, the ones on dips or the ones with their sides on?

The ones driving on sides in rain or fog are the worst. Can they not see how invisible other cars coming against them are?

ironclaw · 30-08-2014 10:45am

daveohdave wrote: »

Next time you're tootling along with your sides on to improve visibility, look at the cars coming against you. Which have better visibility, the ones on dips or the ones with their sides on?

The ones driving on sides in rain or fog are the worst. Can they not see how invisible other cars coming against them are?

Given that many newer cars and indeed older cars are fitted with LED sides which are pretty much DLRL's in terms of brightness then the point about 'just' driving on sides is fairly moot in my opinion. There are certain times when full dips are completely unnecessary. I'm not saying don't use dips, if you car has candles for sides then do, but to bash a driver for just running side lights is wrong.

slimjimmc · 30-08-2014 11:24am

One_Of_Shanks wrote: »

This is a bit of a strange one and just wondering what people make of it.

Basically, driving home to Dublin from Wexford (camping trip) on Sunday morning, and about 20 mins from Wexford town an oncoming car flashed its lights at me, while about 300 yards away from me.

As they got closer they slowed down and flashed their lights another 3 or 4 times and both the driver and passenger started pointing quite frantically straight ahead of them, or perhaps to something behind me.

They slowed almost to a stop and continued along in the hard shoulder as if expecting me to do a U-turn and go back to them.

There was a car about 6 car lengths behind me so I couldn't really just stop and pull over even if I wanted to.
I waited a few mins and found a safe place to stop and got out and checked my car etc, all was fine.
I had my side-lights on but certainly nothing unusual.

I had been doing about 65-70km at the time in an 80 zone. As we drove on there were no check-points or anything that they could have been warning me of, and anyway that wouldn't explain all the pointing etc....

I'm an inexperienced driver so is it customary to stop and go back in a situation like this?

It occurred to me that perhaps it could have been an off-duty Guard but I don't think I had done anything wrong, and both the driver and passenger were dressed in what appeared to be GAA jersies so I'm guessing they were on their way to a game or something (bit early at 11am admittedly)

Any thoughts or educated guesses?

Good chance they weren't flashing at you at all but at something behind you and the following car which you didn't notice because you understandably assumed they were flashing at you. The jersys and stopping bit lead me to think it that they were flagging down a match mini-bus or coach, or a friend.

One_Of_Shanks · 30-08-2014 11:27am

slimjimmc wrote: »

Good chance they weren't flashing at you at all but something going on behind you and the following car which you didn't notice because you understandably assumed they were flashing at you.

Good call! You may well be right there!

filbert the fox · 01-09-2014 10:15am

ironclaw wrote: »

Given that many newer cars and indeed older cars are fitted with LED sides which are pretty much DLRL's in terms of brightness then the point about 'just' driving on sides is fairly moot in my opinion. There are certain times when full dips are completely unnecessary. I'm not saying don't use dips, if you car has candles for sides then do, but to bash a driver for just running side lights is wrong.

Clunk click - lights.

People flashing you for having your lights on proves the point. You're being noticed!

keithclancy · 01-09-2014 11:38am

ironclaw wrote: »

Given that many newer cars and indeed older cars are fitted with LED sides which are pretty much DLRL's in terms of brightness then the point about 'just' driving on sides is fairly moot in my opinion. There are certain times when full dips are completely unnecessary. I'm not saying don't use dips, if you car has candles for sides then do, but to bash a driver for just running side lights is wrong.

I left on my side lights and now have a flat battery.

My Volvo seems to think my Side lights are for parking only so doesn't turn them off

punisher5112 · 01-09-2014 11:43am

keithclancy wrote: »

I left on my side lights and now have a flat battery.

My Volvo seems to think my Side lights are for parking only so doesn't turn them off

that's why you just leave the switch off as these lights auto on/off with car

Car flashing lights and pointing

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